how do I get the most out of my Blu-ray player?
maximize its potential

To fully experience everything Blu-ray has to offer, you’re going to need a high-definition TV capable of at least 1280 by 720p resolution—1920 by 1080p if you want every pixel of your favorite Blu-ray movies delivered to your screen.  If you want to actually see all of that extra resolution, make sure you’re sitting close enough or that the screen size is large enough.  To take in all of the detail generated by your spiffy new 56-inch 1080p DLP, for example, you’ll need to sit no further than 8.5 feet away from the screen. For a 40-inch 1080p LCD, you should scoot up to within 6 feet.  Not only will you see more detail, the larger viewing angle will result in a more theater-like movie-watching experience.  Just don’t let Mom catch you sitting that close!

Let’s not forget that Blu-ray is far more than just another pretty picture, though. If you’re still using the same home theater sound system you bought ten years ago with your first DVD player, you might consider taking a look at a new receiver or surround sound processor equipped with HDMI inputs or onboard decoding of the latest Dolby and DTS audio formats:  Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS High Resolution, and DTS Master Audio.  While your old system will still work perfectly well, offering the same audio quality to which you’ve become accustomed with DVD, the advanced audio formats available on many new Blu-ray Discs provide up to 7.1 channels of uncompressed audio, greater detail, better dialogue clarity, and a whole lot more earth-shattering kaboom for your buck.